Glomerular filtration rate: assessment with dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and a cortical-compartment model in the rabbit kidney

PURPOSE: To describe the use of MRI and a cortical-compartment model to measure the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and compare the results with those obtained with the Patlak-Rutland model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dynamic MRI of rabbit kidneys was performed during and after injection of gadoterate dimeglumine. The enhancement curves in the aorta and the kidney were analyzed with the cortical-compartment and Patlak-Rutland models to assess the GFR. RESULTS: A substantial correlation was observed between the GFR measured with MRI using the cortical-compartment model and the plasma clearance of 51Cr-EDTA (r=0.821, P=0.004). No significant correlation was observed between the 51Cr-EDTA clearance (r=0.628, P=0.052) and the GFR obtained with the Patlak-Rutland model in regions of interest (ROIs) encompassing the renal cortex and medulla. A Bland and Altman analysis showed that GFR(cortical) (compartment) agreed better with the 51Cr-EDTA clearance compared to GFR(Patlak) when ROIs were limited to the cortex. However, the GFR values obtained by MRI were lower than the plasma clearance of 51Cr-EDTA. CONCLUSION: MRI with a cortical-compartment model provides more accurate assessments of glomerular filtration than the Patlak-Rutland model.